What’s happening in Hong Kong? Food and restaurant news

15 November, 2017

5 Min Read

Hong Kong has one of the world’s most vibrant dining scenes. Our regular monthly updates on food and restaurant news aim to keep you up-to-date with what’s hot and what’s not. This month sees a new concept resto from the team behind Catalunya, a new brunch, a beautiful afternoon tea, as well as an opening sure to excite the city’s carnivores.

CE LA VI has a revamped menu

CE LA VI new executive chef

CE LA VI has a new executive chef and a new a la carte menu for lunch or dinner, featuring vibrant seafood and meat dishes, and creatively constructed desserts. Jason Au brings his experience working in an acclaimed Japanese restaurant in New York to Hong Kong, creating a menu with meticulous Asian flavours. Expect dishes such as the Storm Shell, which is a dish with fresh clams sourced directly from New Zealand, steamed with saké instead of white wine, and dressed in a tangy yuzu and pepper sauce. Also on the menu is soft shell crab (HK$158) lightly fried in Japanese batter atop watermelon cubes marinated in a sweet flavourful ponzu sauce.

COA new bar opening

Award-winning bar veteran Jay Khan is the mastermind behind COA, the city’s first Mexican artisanal cocktail bar. Expected to open later this month, the bar channels Jay’s love of Mexico’s vibrant drinking culture and passion for its native agave spirits. The bar takes its name from the age-old machete-like tool used for harvesting the agave. The latest venture follows Jay’s success being named among the Top 25 Bartenders in Hong Kong & Macauin 2014 and 2015 by Drinks World Asia and Top 10 Bartender of the Bar Awards Hong Kong in 2016.

Catalunya concept coming to IFC

In other restaurant news, Spanish resto Catalunya has established itself as one of the city’s most respected Mediterranean dining destinations. This month, they are a new concept venue, ‘La Rambla by Catalunya’ at IFC mall. La Rambla will be offering contemporary interpretations of Spanish flavours in a sprawling 5,000 sq. ft. venue. “After five years in Wan Chai, we’re excited to expand Catalunya into a more elaborate concept,” Mauricio Rodriguez, La Rambla’s new General Manager, a veteran of el Bulli and part of the original Catalunya opening team, said. “We want to embrace this avant-garde spirit at La Rambla by presenting traditional Catalan cuisine in inventive ways.”

Green is good

Respected Thai restaurant Café Siam has partnered with leading culinary nutritionist Kim Murphy to introduce a new menu of 10 healthy Thai dishes. The special menu has dishes low in salt and sugar, but heavy on flavour. Expect offerings such as traditional rice paper rolls filled with fresh mango, shrimp, mint and mixed greens, or sea bass prepared with low GI glass noodles. The Kim Murphy menu will be available for lunch and dinner at Café Siam Central and Chef Café Siam Kennedy Town.

New brunch at Big Bay Cafe

A new Sunday brunch is always big restaurant news in Hong Kong. Brunch has come to Big Bay Cafe in the Kerry Hotel in Kowloon. Enjoy a view over Victoria Harbour as you indulge in classic brunch dishes. Menu items include an extensive egg menu selection, with choices including coddled egg on top of a smooth potato puree, poached in a glass jar, topped with herb salt and chives, or served with toasted brioche. There is also croque madame, farmers bread, shaved parma ham, cheese, bechamel and fried hens egg; and truffle scrambled eggs. Other luxe menu items include Wagyu beef sliders, caviar and sour cream blinis and smoked tomahawk steak.

Meet MEATS

Big restaurant news for the city’s carnivores who have a new destination, with the opening of MEATS, which bills itself as Hong Kong’s first meat bar. The menu is designed around bringing out the best flavours of meat dishes with techniques such as house smoking, slow roasting, and grilling over the kitchen’s custom-made rotisserie and robata grill. Head Chef Paddy McDermott has created a menu divided into small meats, meats, sides, veggies and sweet dishes. The casual eatery has a no reservation, no service charge policy. Open for dinner and weekend brunch.